The World Top Gourmet Awards (WTGA) has launched its call for entries for 2023’s competition, with support from Tourism Malaysia.
The event launch was held at Resort Cafe, Sunway Resort Hotel in Petaling Jaya on August 10, 2023.
The 5th World Top Gourmet Awards is expected to welcome more international participants as an initiative to promote and support international and multicultural exchanges within the food and beverage (F&B) industry.
In addition, the WTGA will also appoint more Chefs of Honour from different countries as it look forward to shining a light on the chefs that have impacted their community through their cuisine, and assisting more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating a bigger brand and expanding their existing enterprise.
This year’s edition will focus on the theme ‘Resilience and Hope,’ showcasing the dedication and contributions made by both local and international players in the F&B industry to drive economic growth.
Peggy Chong, the president of World Gourmet stated during the launch event: “We are proud to host all these different cuisines and delicacies with many talented chefs and unique restaurants as a part of the upcoming award ceremony. We gave out a total of 99 awards last year, so this year we look forward to maintaining this number.
Chong added: “With these recognitions, we also hope to boost the business performances of these F&B players as we aim for their increased contributions to the country’s economy where the F&B sector is expected to grow by 8%.”
Chong was appointed the president for Aregala’s Malaysia chapter, an association that dedicates itself to supporting and spreading culinary values and heritage as a cultural, social, touristic, historical and educational identity of nations, and was awarded the Best Food Award Organiser of the Year.
At the event, Tourism Malaysia was represented by head of shopping and lifestyle deputy director Nurushama Abdul Hanan, on behalf of Tourism Malaysia director-general Dato’ Dr. Ammar Abd Ghapar.
Nurushama said food plays a big role in Malaysia’s tourism expenditures.
“The World Top Gourmet Awards continues to be a fantastic platform to recognize the F&B industry players, especially for their effort in promoting Malaysian cuisine, allowing consumers to appreciate and experience the various cultural traditions and values in Malaysia that, in many ways, serve as the main ingredients of these delicacies.
“With such prestigious recognitions, the WTGA can open doors for many of our F&B players to the world, and in turn, for the world to us, to come and experience our unique blend of cultures, arts and traditions, particularly through our food,” she said.
She added, “This will support Tourism Malaysia’s target of achieving 23.5 million international tourist arrivals and RM76.8 billion in tourism expenditures for the expected arrivals and receipts for 2025.”
Also present at the event launch were World Gourmet (WG) patron Puan Sri Dr Susan Cheah, WTGA 2023 honorary advisor Dato’ Simon Lim and WG culinary advisor Puan Sri Nisa Bakri, Master Chef Chin Chee Sing, better known as Chef Sun, who is appointed the World Top Gourmet Ambassador 2023, Master Chef Bernard Lee, Master Chef James Ho and TV and radio host Wong Chui Ling.
The World Top Gourmet Awards has been hailed as the platform for stimulating the economy by inciting growth of the food and beverage (F&B) sector as well as promote cross-learning, networking, and economic opportunities for F&B operators.
Established in 2017, the World Top Gourmet Awards has been highly recognized as the platform to promote and support restaurants, chefs, entrepreneurs, cuisines, locally and internationally, and to gain recognition in the F&B industry.
Throughout the years, it has offered an array of opportunities beyond culinary awards such as curating food tours, dining experiences, networking events and charity drives, to bring exposure to local and international delicacies.
Nominations for the World Top Gourmet Awards (WTGA 2023) are evaluated based on their potential business growth, overall performance, business strategy and future plans.
The WTGA 2023 ceremony will take place at Sunway Resort Hotel on November 1, 2023 where the winners will be revealed.
For more information about the awards and the nomination process, go to the official website of the World Top Gourmet Awards at www.worldgourmet.biz.
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